Electrical vacuum-tube structure



June 24, 1930. L. SUTHERLIN 1,765,636

ELECTRICAL VACUUM TUBE STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 21, 19 23 ii A k i! g l9 I8I WITNESSES: INVENTCJR W Lee Juffier/m Patented June 24, 1930 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE LEE SUTHEBLIN, or EAST PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,Ass enoR To WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC &MANUFACTUBING' COMPANY, ACORPORATION or PENNSYL- vam ELECTRICAL vACUUM-TURE sTRUCTURR Applicationfiled December 21, 1923. Serial Ito. 682,049.

This invention relates to vacuum-tube de- Vices of the kind used inconnection with radio communication. More particularly stated, thisinvention relates to the supports for the electrodes of such devices.

It is an object of this invention to provide a structure, including theelectrodes and their supports, which shall be less sensitive tomechanical disturbance than such structures have been heretofore.

It is a further object of this invention to mechanically connect the.upper ends of the several standards, whereby they may be made toreinforce one another and relative motion between them may be largelyprevented.

It is a further object o this invention to provide an elastic holdingmeans for the filament which shall keep it under tension and, at thesame time, shall diminish its tendency to move relative to the otherelectrode.

Heretofore, the upper end of the filament has been held by a springwhich is attached to a standard having one or more right-angle bendsbetween the press and the corresponding end of such standard. If thetube is jarred, vibration of this standard will cause an undesirablemotion of the upper end of the filament.

It has also been the practice, heretofore, to support the grid and theplate upon standards which are not mechanically connected to anythingelse above the press and so are free to vibrate.

The present invention, by mechanically connecting together the upperends of the standards, materially diminishes the relative motion betweenthe electrodes.

The spring for the filament, in one form of the present invention, isconnected to the straight part of the standard which holds the upper endof the filament. The former practice of locating the right-angle bend inthe standard near the press caused added flexibility which is avoided bythe present arrangement.

In another form of the invention, the right-angle bend is still betweenthe press and the spring, but, in this form, the spring is connected tothe lower end of the filament,

near the press, where the motion introduced by vibration is necessarilysmall.

Other objects of the invention and details of the construction will beapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings inwhich:

gigure 1 illustrates one form of my device an Fig. 2, another form.

The device includes a press 1 in which the several standards are securedin the usual way. One of the standards 2 extends along the surface ofthe cylindrical anode 3, to which it is secured by spot-welding or inany other desired way. Another standard 4 is outside of the anode 3.This standard has secured thereto, a U-shaped supporting bar 5 whichextends lengthwise within the anode 3 and supports the helical grid 6.

Both the standard 2 and the standard 4 are straight wires, parallelthroughout their length, and they are secured against relative motion attheir lower ends, by the press, and at their upper ends, by a bead 7into which they are anchored.

Another standard 8, preferably at the other side of thepress from thestandard 4., has two right-angle bends, near the top thereof, as shownat 9 and 10. The portion 12 above the bend'lO is parallel to the portion8 and, therefore, parallel to the standards 2 and 4. This portion isanchored in the bead 7 so that the upper. end of the standard 8 is heldagainst motion relative to the other elements. 1

The filament 13 is supplied, at each end,

with the usual connectors or terminal'members 14 and 15, by means ofwhich it is conductively connected to the supports.

In Fig.1, the conductive connection is by means of a spring 16 securedto the u per terminal piece 14 and to the standar point slightly belowthe bend 9. The lower terminal piece 15, in this form, is directlyconnected to a lead or standard 17 in the press.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2, the upper terminal member 14 isconnected directly to the horizontal part of the standard 8. Thestandard 17, in this form, has twig right- Sata angle bends, as shown at18 and 19, so that its top is ofiset from the line of the standard 17,which is also the line of the filament 13. From the offset top, a spring21 extends to the lower terminal member 15.

The springs 16 and 21 are attached by spotwelding or in any otherdesired way.

The standard 17, because it extends but slightly above the press, cannotmove relatively to the other standards, even though the whole structureis in mechanical vibration. The standards 2, 4. and 8, when the tube isin vibration, may move by the parts above the'press flexing, butthemechanical connection afforded by the head 7 will keep their upper endsin a definite relative position, even though the standards vibrate. Theright-angle bends 9 and 10 cannot add flexibility to the standard 8because they are 'close to the point at which it is anchored in the bead7. The standards 2 and 4, together with the bead 7, constitute a brace,tending to keep the upper end of the standard 8 still. The spring 16,because it is attached close to the bend 9, is at a point where anymotion due to fiexure of the long straight portion of the standard swillbe in phase a with the motion of the standards 2 and 4, thus preventingrelative motion.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2, the rightangle bends 18 and 19 in thestandard 17 can introduce little flexibility because the bent parts areshort and close to the press. The long straight portion of the standard8 is held from motion by .the bracing afforded by the standards 2 and 4and the bead 7. The right-angle bends 9 and 10 in this standard, willnot cause any undesirable degree of motion in the terminal member 14because they are close to the bead 7 and also because there is no springbetween the terminal member 14 and the standard.

It is, therefore, evident that practically no motion of the filamentrelative to the grid, or of either of these elements relative to theplate, can take place, even when the tube is subjected to severemechanical jar.

Although, I have illustrated but two specific forms of the I invention,it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many other formsinvolving the same principles may be produced and that the details ofconstruotion may be varied through a wide range without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. I do not intend, therefore, to be limitedexcept as necessitated by the prior art or as indicated in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vacuum tube, a vertical filament, a grid, and an anode, twostandards respectively conductively connected to the two ends of saidfilament, a press in which said first standard joined to said anode, asecond standard beside the first and in line with said filament, a thirdstandard on the other side of said firststandard, means extending fromsaid third standard for supporting the grid, "fourth standard on theside of the second standard opposite the first standard, said first,third and fourth standard extending above the top of the anode, aninsulating body rigidly securing said three standards together, andconductive connections from the second and fourth standards,respectively, to the filament, one of said connections being aspringacting to hold the filament under tension.

3. In a vacuum tube, a press, an upright standard mounted in said press,a grid, a

grid-supporting means extending laterally from said standard, aplurality of standards mounted in said press spaced from said firstnamedstandard in the direction in which said grid-supporting meansextends, afilament, filament-supporting means including a resilient member andlaterally extending parts of said last-named standards, saidfilament-supporting means extending from the filament in the directionaway from said firstnamed standard. 4. In a vacuum tube, a, press,electrodes including a linear filament, a standard mounted in said pressin line with said filament, a rigid offset in said standard, a springconnection between said filament and said offset, and a structurecomprising a plurality of standards rigidly joined-at each end forsupporting the other electrodes from said press.

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th dayof December, 1923.

LEE SUTHERLIN.

standards are supported and bracing means comprising two standardsextending through

